PUBLISHED ON 08 OCT 2025
There were dozens of new players competing in the opening round of the Nan Fung Group | AIRSIDE Hong Kong Premiership 2025-2026 on Saturday 4 October.
The mixture of club and Hong Kong Prem debutantes, as well as old hands, ensured in the Women’s Premiership the two favourites Societe Generale Valley RFC and HKFC Natixis Ice, as well as Clement Shield/VetiVa Gai Wu Falcons started with wins, while Societe Generale Valley RFC and Kowloon Rugby Club kicked off their Men’s seasons with victories too.
Women’s Premiership
Societe Generale Valley RFC 33-0 Kroll USRC Tigers Women
The defending Grand Final champions got their 50th anniversary celebrations off with a perfect start as they defeated Kroll USRC Tigers Women at home and kept the visitors scoreless while running in five tries themselves.
Bella Milo, the club's CCO and Head Coach, had said Samoan International Hasting Leiataua was one to watch (she has been with them since 2023), and she scored the opening try before captain Kea Herewini and Caitlin Spencer made it three tries by the break and a healthy 19-0 lead.
Despite a second-half yellow card, Valley didn't concede a point and added two more converted scores through Jayme Nuku and Zoe Smith.
The club said, “What an awesome way to start the season! The Double W at home in the middle of our Golden Weekend!”
For the Tigers, they made the final four last season, and that will be their goal at a minimum.
Causeway Sandy Bay 15-44 HKFC Natixis Ice
HKFC Natixis Ice started their campaign as they wanted, with a win away at Causeway Sandy Bay. First-half tries from Caitlin Morrell, debutant Georgina Tasker, and captain Zoe Teece had them lead 15-0 at the break.
Tasker and Teece both grabbed a brace in the second half before new cap Amber Lawless got on the board for the hosts, but Jasmine Fitzhenry struck back for HKFC within a minute for a commanding 36-5 lead.
The final 15 minutes saw both sides score twice each, as Rebecca Davidson and Tin Yan Chim dotted down for Causeway Sandy Bay, but HKFC’s Georgina Tasker secured her hat-trick on debut, and Georgia Cutt got the final say with a try in the final minute of play.
Tasker, with her experience at Exeter Chiefs, GB 7s and England 7s, looks to be a great signing this season for HKFC.
For Causeway Sandy Bay Coach Kevin Moggridge, as much as he was hopeful of a more positive and less disrupted second season, there is plenty of work to do yet.
Clement Shield/VetiVa Gai Wu Falcons 71-0 Kowloon Rugby Club
The home side blew away the Kowloon side, with the visitors hoping to make a top-four finish this campaign with several new and returning additions this season, but were dealt some harsh lessons by the Clement Shield/VetiVa Gai Wu Falcons.
The hosts ran in six converted tries in the first forty minutes (all converted by Wing Yin Lo) and scored by; Tsz Wun Ho (x2), Jiayu Qian (x2), Ching Yi Shek, and Ka Wai Mavis Lam.
There were five more tries in the second period, scored by Wing Yin Lo (x2), Sie To Cheuk Man, Yee Ching Chan, and Ka Wai Mavis Lam, as the Gai Wu Falcons ended up with four players grabbing a brace of tries in the 11 total tries scored.
A huge win to get the season underway for Gai Wu Falcons, while Kowloon will need to improve if they are to aim for a top-four finish in what is their 50th anniversary campaign.
Men’s Premiership
Societe Generale Valley RFC 41-28 Kroll USRC Tigers RFC
Societe Generale Valley RFC took first blood as they defeated the Tigers at home to claim the double win, with their women also getting a victory on their 50th anniversary celebration weekend. It was not easy, though, as they had to overturn a 19-21 deficit at halftime.
Paul Eti Slater was first on the scoreboard for Valley, but the visitors replied with three unanswered converted tries, which were all slotted by newcomer Henry Mortimer, to lead 21-7 after 25 minutes. Fellow debutant Hakaraia Richards-Coxhead (x2), and Benjamin Audry were the try scorers.
The home side came back in the final quarter of the half as Paul Eti Slater and Viliame Naivalu crossed the whitewash.
Within the opening minutes of the second half, Paul Eti Slater secured his hat-trick as Societe Generale Valley RFC retook the lead. Chad Solomon and Robert Fogerty extended that lead while Laurence May converted four of the total six tries and added a late penalty.
Paula Fukofuka Maama scored late for the visitors, but they could retake the lead they held for twenty minutes in the opening half.
A first game and win of the season for Augustine Leger and his Valley side, while Nigel Hotham continues to look for just his second win in charge of Kroll USRC Tigers RFC, but there will be signs of things turning around.
Milwaukee Hong Kong Scottish 17-21 Kowloon Rugby Club
Milwaukee Hong Kong Scottish were hoping to start the season at home with a special win for Men’s Premiership debut player ‘Jelly’, who has come through the club’s community outreach program in 2015, and was the Player of the Season award winner last year.
However, the visiting Kowloon men, who are looking to enjoy their 50th anniversary this season, came out on top in a tight game in which they pipped the hosts after trailing 6-12 at the break.
Kowloon fly-half Dylan White slotted two early penalties, but two tries by Jacquin Moses and Peter Jericevich for Hong Kong Scottish gave them that slender lead after forty minutes.
In the second half, a third penalty off the boot to White and two points for the conversion from a Vincent O'Brien try saw them take the lead 16-12.
New signing Lachlan Mcgowan scored a try for Scottish, but Vincent O 'Brien could not be denied a second score as he prevented new Head Coach Ngatai Walker from securing a win in his first game in Hong Kong, while Kowloon’s Lewis Wilson notched up the victory in a season he has high hopes for.
